Oh hey you guys, it's Jeff again. I figured since you all collectively have such a vested interest in my, uh... COMEDY I would let you know that I'm working on a new cartoon series called Starving Muppet Babies.

It does say Terrastock on the 21st...of June. Winston-Salem, N.C. is the 21st of August.

Nabisco's right, but in addition to that compilations/archive releases/reissues of older material, etc., don't get those tags. (The other one being "Best New Music" and all.) There have been a few exceptions for collections of recent-ish 7"/12"-type material that most readers wouldn't have been previously familiar with (this was really stretched for the Braxe comp) but that Steinski is a collection of material from the past three decades, so...

Not sure if it belongs in this thread (could be classic or dud)... it's known that music journalists often don't listen to records enough to make a true judgment, if at all (see: Black Crowes/Maxim)... but I rather like this admission from Scottpl. in his Pfork review of the new Radiohead best of:

The packaging is merely a few promo photos and a long essay I didn't read (sorry).

Acher provides a candid glimpse into a troubled marriage by describing it in terms of the material goods used to prop it up-- "I remember good lies/ When we carried them home with us/ To our bedside tables and the coffee sets"-- thereby keenly drawing parallels between dysfunctional relationships and the IKEA-furnished apartments that house them: the cool surface appearances barely concealing the soul-deadening sterility.

METRIC, Grow Up and Blow AwayIn fact, Metric's songs are often characterized by a commercial sheen-- they're smart little packets that, even as anti-consumerism screeds, have a compact luster that makes you feel like getting online to price experimental shelving units from Ikea or browsing all-over print hoodies at H&M.

THE RADIO DEPT., Pet GriefTheir second album, Pet Grief, is stacked with syrupy pop songs, as Johan Duncanson's effortless vocals ride the crest of soft-focus synths and programmed drums. But too often, the songs come off like the sonic equivalent of IKEA furniture: highly functional, sleekly designed, and sterile.

TORTOISE, It's All Around YouMore frustrating, however, is that, after the scrappy Standards, where Parker spiked the mix with sparks and grime, Tortoise have pressed their music back into Scandinavian furniture. Cold Ikea percussion frames hold downy white duvets of keyboards, the music sterile and functional.

MORCHEEBA, CharangoThe Sire execs saw to it that all elements of darkness, ethereality and-- gasp in shock here-- black soul were quickly and efficiently excised from the mix, to be replaced by the most predictable, glossy surface settings this side of IKEA.

Did you guys know that IKEA is a furniture store that is popular in urban and developing urban areas that has some hip appeal due to its distinct european charm and a low price that leads to its use in the homes of those who are young and aspiring to that aesthetic?